Process of manufacturing rubber articles.



UNITED STATES RAYMOND IB. IBICE, OF NEW YORK, N.

Y., ASSIGNOR TO RUBBER REGENERATIHG COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING RUBBER ARTICLES. m

To all whom it may concern Be it lmown that I, RAYMOND B. PRICE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in the Process of Manufacturing ftubber Articles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the manufacture of rubber articles and has for an object to maintain a predetermined relationship of the materials therein by eliminating the distortion of the materials, more particularly fabric and rubber, from their predetermined relationship, which distortion usually occurs while final formation is being given to the article by vulcanization under compacting pressure.

To illustrate one embodiment of my invention the same will be described in connection with the manufacture of tires.

In the manufacture of tires, a tire is initially built to embody plies of rubber treat-- ed fabric and rubber lightly adhering to each other. Final formation is usually given to the tire by vulcanizing the same under compacting pressure. To produce an ellicient product, it is essential during the building of the tire that the various materials be assembled with a certain predetermined uniformity of tension and gage, and second, that this uniformity be maintained while vulcanization is being given to the tire.

During vulcanization of tires built in accordance with the present practice, the materials, especially the rubber and fabric of the tire carcass, are distorted and strained from their initial uniform relationship. Distortion occurs because the mobile green rubber of the'tire when under heat flows and allows the fabric to escape from place, which condition is enhanced by the pressure of the wrappings, or mold during vulcanization of the tire. As a result of this distortion of the rubber and fabric in the product, the life of the tire is shortened because wherever the plies of fabric are exposed, or are not protected by an adequately intervening la er of rubber, the rub upon each other uring he tire in service with resultant flexing of t friction and heating whereby the fabric is reduced to powder, thereby producing breaks and punctures.

y invention obviates such distortion of the rubber and fabric from their initial uniform relationship and thereby produces a more efficient tire than hitherto obtainable. To obtain these results the invention resides in converting the green rubber of the rubber treated fabric from which the tire is to be subsequently built, into partially cured ruber having such consistency as to resist displacement and hold the fabric in place while formation is being given to the tire by vulcanization under compacting pressure.

In carrying out the invention, I subject rubber treated tire fabric to a preliminary partial vulcanization which may be effected by steam, open heat, inert or active gas, liquid or other usual or preferred heat medium. Partial vulcanization may also be effected by treating the fabric with sulfur chlorid. This partial vulcanization is performed in the absence of any conditions that would tend to materially distort the rubber and fabric from their predetermined or initial relationship, and as a result the rubber and fabric become set or fixed in their uniform unstrained relationship. After this preliminary partial vulcanization, the tire is built in the usual manner to embody plies of this partially vulcanized rubber treated fabrie lightly adhering to each other, and subsequently the tire is given final formation by any usualor preferred vulcanization'under compacting pressure, the partially vulcanized rubber now acting as a tenacious cushion which anchors said plies against creeping, and itself has such consistency as to resist displacement.

Tires constructed in the above described manner to embody plies of rubber treated fabric partially vulcanized prior to building and final vulcanization of the tire will have enhanced strength and movability over tires not so constructed, by virtue of the fabric and rubber of the finished product retaining their initial uniform relationship which 1s such that each ply of fabric is with certainty se arated throughout by an adequate layer 0 adjacent ply of fabric. Furthermore, such tires may be subjected to higher compacting rubber from the next pressure than ordinarily during vulcanization since the fabric 1s protected by the partially cured rubber, w ich during the preliminary vulcanization takes a certain consistency that' resists distortion.

Such tires will be more uniformly compact and homogeneous throughout than ordinarily since that part of the com acting pressure of'the ressure cure hit erto expended. deleterious y in displacing the plastic green rubber is now advantageously utilized in further comacting the stationar cushion-like partial y cured rubber.

hat I claim is 1. The process of manufacturing articles embodying vulcanizable plastic and fabric material, consisting of fixin the relationshi of the plastic and fabric by partially vu canizing the material, building the article of this partially vulcanized material, and 'ving final formation to the built article material.

2. The process of manufacturing articles embodying vulcanizable plastic and fabric material, consisting of fixin the relationship of the plastic and fabric by partially vulcanizing the material in the absence of distorting pressure, building the article of this partially vulcanized material, and giving final formation to the built article by completing the vulcanization of the material under compacting pressure.

3. The process 0 manufacturing articles embodying vulcanizable plastic and fabric material, consistingof fixm the relationshi of the lastic and fabric b partiall vu canizing t e material in open eat, buil y completing the vulcanization of the ing the article of this partially vulcanized material, and giving final formation to the built article by completing the vulcanization of the material under compacting pres sure.

4. The process of manufacturing tires embodying rubber treated fabric material, consisting of fixing the relationship of the rubber and fabric by partially vu canizing said material, building the tire of elements of this partially vulcanized material, and

givin final formation to the built tire by conlip eting the vulcanization of the materia t 5. The process of manufacturing tires embodying rubber treated fabric material, consisting of first subjecti the material to the action of a setting me ium under conditions that will not materially disturb the normal relationship of the rubber and fabric to each other, then building the tire of elements of this material, and finally vulcanizing the built tire.

6. The process of manufacturing tires embodying rubber treated fabric material, consisting of artially vulcanizing the material in the a sence of distorting premure, building the tire of elements of the partially vulcanized material, and finally vulcanizing the built tire under compacting pressure.

Signed at New York, N. Y., this 6th day of February, 1915.

RAYMOND B. PRICE.

Witnesses:

DANIELA. Wuicox, Cnanm'rrn M. SGHULE. 

